The concert entitled The Geometry of Music: Harold Scott MacDonald Coxeter was a part of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Intersections Series. Krista Blake was the curator of the series and described this piece as “an exploration into a world of symmetry, pattern, technology and the intimate relationship between mathematics and music, focusing on the beauty and elegance of geometry and its most passionate apostle, the late Donald Coxeter.”
To support these mathematical and symmetrical themes, Blake wanted to project geometric shapes onto the background and reflect them by installing a mirrored surface on the floor. Her search for the perfect reflective flooring material led her to Rosco, where she discovered #3906 Flexible Silver Mirror. While not ‘technically’ a floor, Blake found that the affordable, vinyl-backed material was durable enough to create a reflective surface for the orchestra’s two performances. Watch the time-lapse, behind-the-scenes video below and see how easily Blake’s reflective set came together:
Regarded as the greatest geometer of the 20th Century, Donald Coxeter’s influence can be seen in the works of M.C. Escher, Buckminster Fuller and Roger Penrose. Coxeter made a significant impact – not only in mathematics, but also in theoretical physics, chemistry, architecture, computer programming, medical research, art - and now music. The concert featured an original composition by composer and music theorist Dmitri Tymoczko of Princeton University, which was accompanied by projected geometric visuals created by projection artist/programmer Nathan Selikoff.
Blake was thrilled with the results! After the event, she reached out to Rosco to report that “the Coxeter inspired kaleidoscopic mirrored set for this event, which enveloped the entire orchestra and created a dazzling array of reflections and symmetries, was made possible by the flooring material provided by Rosco.”
For more information on all of our Rosco Mirror products, please visit our Staging Materials webpage.
Credits:
The Geometry of Music: Harold Scott MacDonald Coxeter
Conductor: Edwin Outwater
The Conrad Centre for The Performing Arts
Photo Credit: Brian Limoyo
Chanda Goldsworthy September 22, 2016 Questions?